Headwind

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– Infratest inquiry: Majority of the Federal citizens for obligation subject ethics – (Second catching together – new: ReactionLandeskirche) =Berlin (epd). The initiative "Christians pro Ethics" has criticized the two large churches for their support of the Berlin referendum "Pro Reli". With view of the Protestant church it is to him "uneasy" that it made itself the request of the registered association Pro Reli too own and carried "with enormous propagandistic expenditure into the last corners of our church", said the minister at the French Friedrichstadtkirche, Stephan Frielinghaus, on Tuesday in Berlin. The fact that for a long time there had been no opposing position on this "does not suit us at all as a Protestant church.". In the meantime, the regional church once again sided with Pro Reli. In an appeal, the initiative reiterated its support for ethics, a compulsory subject introduced in Berlin in 2006, and opposes putting religious education on an equal footing with it. There must be a subject in which students from different ideological, cultural and social backgrounds can discuss ethical ies together, Frielinghaus said in justification of the proposal. Common values, respect and tolerance are indispensable for the peaceful coexistence of people in a multi-religious and multicultural city like Berlin. At the same time a voluntary confession instruction is appropriate, it was further said. Among the hundred or so initial signatories of the appeal are about two dozen theologians and pastors, including the publicist Eugen Drewermann, the former secretary general of "Pax Christi," Joachim Garstecki, and the former Brandenburg commissioner for foreigners, Almuth Berger. "I don't want a growing number of children to learn about homosexuality, for example, only in Islamic religious education classes," Frielinghaus continued. The situation is similar, for example, when it comes to the subject of abortion in Catholic religious education classes. In the same way, there are topics that he does not want to be dealt with by the Protestant church alone, said the Protestant theologian. The director of the Institute for Comparative Ethics at Freie Universitat, Michael Bongardt, emphasized that ethics classes should teach competencies that transcend denominational and religious boundaries. This includes talking about religion and learning to respect each other. He is "quite clearly pro ethics," said the former Catholic priest. It is meaningful and important that there is the possibility of such a teaching. However, everyone must be able to decide whether they want this. At the same time, the federal chairman of the ethics association in Berlin, Peter Kriesel, presented a new representative survey, according to which 53 percent of Germans are in favor of a compulsory subject in ethics. In contrast, 44 percent of those surveyed were in favor of a choice between religious education and ethics education as subjects of equal importance. For the survey, which was commissioned by the GEW (Union for Education and Science) from Infratest dimap, respondents were interviewed on 25. and 26. November nationwide 1.000 people aged 14 and over questioned. The Protestant Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz, on the other hand, referred to a representative Forsa survey from January 2008, according to which the "majority of those surveyed were in favor of a free choice between equal subjects of instruction.She also reiterated her support for the "Pro Reli" petition for a referendum. The referendum, which is currently running in Berlin, aims to put voluntary religious education on an equal footing with ethics classes in the German capital. Should the 21.January 170.000 signatures are collected, a referendum is pending in 2009.

Youth synod in rome starts quietly, but names sensitive topics

listeners at the youth synod © Stefano dal Pozzolo (CBA)

In contrast to the family synod, some expected little from the youth synod. You could be wrong. While much is still vague so far, pressing ies exist. And not only the pope wants to learn from the youth.

Dialogue with youth at eye level seems serious to Francis: When he took the stage over the weekend to answer questions from young people, he did not turn to the front of the hall, where some 5.500 participants hanging on his lips. Instead, he speaks sideways to the back: About 100 young women and men are sitting there, some of whom had previously asked questions.

Pope surprised

Once again, Francis puts aside prepared script, speaks freely. At the two-hour synod kickoff Saturday night, the directors do all they can to dispel criticism that youth don't get a say at the Youth Synod, even when there's no discussion among themselves.

There will be music and dance performances as well as personal reports about experiences as a petty criminal in Italian prisons, as a refugee from Iraq, experiences with Internet pornography, drugs or cancer.

Always also about how chaplains and faith helped to get out of the misery. "The Italians can do that," says a visitor from north of the Alps, "but for me and our sober culture, it's rather nothing". A group of 15-year-olds from Gaeta, south of Rome, on the other hand, is enthusiastic: "Great – very touching …". The kids belong to one of the spiritual communities or schools invited to the celebration in the Vatican audience hall. When the pope later denounces scandals and clericalism in the church, they clap loudly.

"M-word" is not bypassed

Controversial topics are called by their names at the synod right from the start. They were also inculcated into synod participants by demonstrations around the Vatican on the opening day. For hardly anyone it is conceivable to avoid the "M-word". But it is also clear that abuse and cover-up is not the only ie – the synod working document, which is being worked through step by step, mentions enough other aspects.

Possible focal points and controversies were slow to emerge in the first few days: In addition to sexual assault and its concealment in the church, these include: Migration, participation of women in the Church, sexuality and gender ies, forms and evaluation of vocation, accompaniment of young people and their autonomy.

Whatever favors abuse and cover-up must be changed, demands BDKJ chairman Thomas Andonie, who speaks as a guest speaker from Germany for young people before the synod's general assembly. He also pleads to think about the role of women, the ie of sexual morality, as well as the accompaniment of young people.

Microphone turned off

U.S. Archbishop Charles Chaput urges care in wording about sexuality in church documents; the abbreviation "LGBT" does not belong to it. Austria's youth bishop Stephan Turnovszky calls during a sermon for the church to listen carefully and differentiate on the ie of sexuality, which is important to young people.

Bangui's Archbishop Dieudonne Nzapalainga criticized to journalists that young Africans fleeing to Europe were "sometimes treated like animals". Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, asked about the topic of migration, carefully points out the different tasks of the church and the state.

In the synod hall, a cardinal had to swallow right at the beginning when his microphone was turned off after the allotted four minutes.

Not everyone is used to that. In addition, the pope has ordered three minutes of silence after every five speeches – an opportunity to carefully reflect on what has been heard. The discernment he has always urged is "not a fashionable term of this pontificate" but an important spiritual method.

Time to get to know each other

It is still a matter of analysis and getting to know one another. This is not difficult in the small group of eleven German-speaking participants. In addition to Bishops Felix Genn, Reinhard Marx, Stephan Oster and Johannes Wubbe, as well as BDKJ Chairman Andonie and Jesuit Clemens Blattert from Germany, its members include: Vienna's Archbishop Christoph Schonborn as well as Youth Bishop Turnovszky, his Swiss colleague Alain de Raemy and Curia Cardinal Kurt Koch. The Bishop of Pilsen (Plzen), Tomas Holub, joined the discussion. Genn moderates the group, as Relator Oster summarizes the results of the discussion.

After the analysis, the task from Tuesday afternoon will be to evaluate the findings from a Christian perspective. In the third week, concrete consequences and a final document are to be formulated. This could still be exciting, especially if the synod fathers manage to focus their concerns.

In 2010, the abuse scandal in the church became public. At the Collegium Josephinum in Bad Munstereifel, those affected are also involved in the processing, as the academic director Claudia Bundschuh explains.

CBA: Professor Bundschuh, how does your project differ from others??

Claudia Bundschuh (Scientific Director Project Collegium Josephinum / ProCJ): It is clearly a project with those affected and for them. Former members of the convict, which closed in 1997, helped determine the project's objectives and are involved in deciding on its components and implementation. We don't do anything without their support. In total, the steering committee includes two representatives of the Archdiocese of Cologne, two from academia, two affected persons and one representative of the affected persons.

CBA: What is the effect of this composition?

Claudia Bundschuh: It is very helpful because it always gives us a corrective, which is really the concern of those affected. We ourselves can only approach the subject theoretically. Only they themselves are experts on their life situation. The clear feedback gives us orientation for the appropriate implementation. It is talked about more openly – with those affected, not about them. It may take a little longer, but the result is more satisfying.
CBA: In your project, you also explicitly consider the so-called tertiary victims, students who have not experienced abuse or maltreatment themselves. Why?
Claudia Bundschuh: We want to prevent alumni from being adversely affected by the reappraisal, for example through the project's public relations work. In the reappraisal process to date, it has sometimes not been sufficiently taken into account that people can also be harmed by the reappraisal and the public presentation of past events in an institution. That would also be something to learn nationwide. At the kick-off event for our project, some of the boarding school's students, especially the younger ones, were very upset and emotionally shaken. They have had completely different experiences, but are now approached on the street and identified as victims, although they are not at all. They also complained that staff members are now under general suspicion who may have been very important as caregivers.
CBA: How do these tertiaries feel about your project??
Claudia Bundschuh: You support the reappraisal. But they sometimes also express displeasure that the project is presented publicly and that it arouses the wrong associations. They are also worried about their parents, because they sent them to this school and now feel guilty about it. One facet is also that some who – theoretically or actually – were witnesses to the acts now feel complicit because they did not intervene.
CBA: How can you address these concerns??
Claudia Bundschuh: By making it clear from the beginning: Anyone can contact us and present their own experiences. We also pick up on positive experiences. In contrast to other projects, we want to make it clear: There were many boys in this boarding school who experienced their time there as very enriching and helpful for their biography. But unfortunately there were also quite a few who were not so lucky. This will also be mentioned in the final report, which is planned for the end of 2016.
CBA: Are there other special features?
Claudia Bundschuh: We focus our attention not only on cases of sexual abuse, but also on physical and psychological abuse. It is very important to us not to create a hierarchy here. I've been working with the ie of sexual violence for 30 years now. But I have become a strong fighter against this basement rally: "Abuse – very bad, mistreatment not so bad." To me it is always important to emphasize: These are different experiences, but it is not for us to judge that some are more problematic than others. Both forms of violence are experienced by the victims as humiliating, as devaluation and as an experience of powerlessness.
CBA: What are the goals of your project?
Claudia Bundschuh: We cannot undo anything or even presume to heal serious injuries. But we want to offer relief to those who have experienced abuse or mistreatment at the Collegium. Therefore, those concerned decide which building blocks the project should have. We ask what they want from the project. There are now countless reports about the structures and backgrounds of the abuse and acts of violence. In these mechanisms, there is no difference between church sponsors, Odenwald schools or other institutions. But where we still have big gaps in our knowledge: What do those affected need now in terms of targeted assistance.
CBA: What do people need?
Claudia Bundschuh: Quite an open ear, patient listening and very important: the recognition and confirmation that what they experienced was not their fault. Nor must we forget the generation. Many have packed these decades into a box, mastered their lives wonderfully, and now everything comes up again that they experienced as children: That they were alone, that there was no one to turn to, and that instead of help they were threatened with further punishment. Here we have to get people out of individualization.
CBA: How many people have contacted you so far?
Claudia Bundschuh: About 20 – mainly with experiences of violence, but some with exclusively positive memories: To get more people to confide in us, we need to communicate credibly and authentically that this is really about them. Many of those affected, we learn again and again, distrust the church as an institution because of their experiences in a church institution and therefore have doubts that an appropriate reappraisal takes place here. Many victims have had the impression in the past that they were used by us and thus even abused for the second time – according to the motto: "I am supposed to give you something so that you can do better in the future." So a certain instrumentalization. This must not happen.

The interview was conducted by Sabine Kleyboldt

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